Brighton brownie maker to appear on Food Network show

Alisa Shakespeare of Brighton delivers Total Cluster Fudge brownies and cookies with her own trailer. Shakespeare holds a bowl of her Red Devil confection, a combination of red velvet and devil’s food brownies layered with caramel and dark chips.(Photo11: ALAN WARD/LIVINGSTON DAILY)

In just two years, Alisa Shakespeare of Brighton has turned Total Cluster Fudge into a $1 million-a-year company.

"We sell the most shelf-stable, gooey, decadent brownies on the market. We want to become the Ben and Jerry's of bakeries," Shakespeare said.

An appearance on a Food Network show could bring in even more dough — and exposure — for the company, which began selling its products in late 2012.

Shakespeare and Gregg Giorgio are co-owners of Total Cluster Fudge, a Brighton-based maker of brownies and cookies. Shakespeare will appear Monday night on behalf of Total Cluster Fudge in an episode of "Food Fortunes." Similar to "Shark Tank," entrepreneurs who appear on the Food Network show pitch food-focused concepts to a panel of four investors.

The show will air at 10 p.m.

One of the items Shakespeare pitches to the judges and the studio audience is a caffeinated breakfast treat called Wake the Fudge Up.

One Wake the Fudge Up bar has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup and a half of coffee, she said.

"I know a lot of people just don't like coffee, so they end up drinking pop to get their caffeine. So I thought, what if I could just caffeinate their morning muffin?" Shakespeare said.

Alisa Shakespeare poses with a selection of her Total Cluster Fudge desserts and snacks at O’Connors Deli in Genoa Township, her first retail location. Now Shakespeare is expanding her product availability at retailers throughout the area.(Photo11: ALAN WARD/LIVINGSTON DAILY)

While she could not provide any details about the results of the show before it airs Monday — it was taped several months ago — she said it was "nerve-racking and exhilarating" to share her story and ideas with a live studio audience and the judges.

"To have them tell you to your face while you are standing there whether or not they like your product ... you feel very exposed," she said.

Shakespeare said food products on the show are judged by flavor, texture and cost.

"Food Fortunes" made its debut March 9. Shakespeare is appearing on the series' fifth episode. She said the show draws about 1.6 million viewers.

While Total Cluster Fudge is based in Brighton, its products are made in a Grand Rapids plant. Shakespeare said the company employs about 12 people outside the plant.

"We are a Pure Michigan item," she said. "We are produced in Michigan, we are sourced in Michigan, we are hiring more people."

Total Cluster Fudge products are sold in 200 Michigan stores, including Kroger. Shakespeare has spent a lot of time on the road, pulling a trailer stocked with brownies and cookies to get them into stores.

"We started out just, literally, selling to O'Connors (in Genoa Township) and Jonna's in Howell and all these independent retailers," she said.

"Our products are shelf-stable for two months outside of refrigeration; most baked goods are only stable for six days," she said.

While the company made $1 million in revenue in its second year, Shakespeare said the five-year plan is to reach the $20 million mark.

"This isn't my first rodeo. I know how to take product to market. Even though we are a startup, I've already done this stuff — and made every mistake imaginable," she said.

Shakespeare, 47, has been selling food products since she was 9 years old and baking goods after school to sell in her mother's grocery store in a small Iowa town of 500 people. Prior to moving to Michigan to work for Lipari Foods in Warren in 2010, she ran her own food company with 200 employees.

With its abundance of independent grocers and stores, Michigan was the ideal location to reinvent herself, Shakespeare said.

"I saw all these amazing stores and thought, 'I'm going to start a business here.' So I did," she said.